1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to personal grooming aids and, more particularly, to such devices as are useful for providing guidance in the trimming of body hair. More specifically, the present invention relates to a guide worn on the head to enable the even trimming of sideburns, bangs, and selected other areas of the head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Until the development of low cost safety razors, and later, electric razors, most men elected to wear facial hair during their adult lives. Unless possessing sufficient wealth, visits to professional barbers were limited to only very special occasions. This all changed around 1900 when King Gillette invented the safety razor, and made daily shaving available to the masses.
Most men have now moved to a clean-shaven look, with sideburns of length dictated by the current fashion. Of course, adopting a clean-shaven look makes irregularities all the more noticeable. It can be difficult for a person to maintain a sharp appearance relative to all areas of the hair and face. Sideburns are an especially difficult area, since they must be trimmed individually.
In much the same manner as do-it-yourselfers get in trouble when shortening table legs by measuring from the bottom, the alternating nature of sideburn trimming can result in sideburn lengths that gradually shorten to a point well beyond that desired. Alternatively, the self-groomer takes his best shot, and the result is frequently uneven sideburns.
In response to this need, a number of different solutions have been proposed. From the cosmetic area, stencils, patches, and embossed printing devices have been suggested for assistance in the shaping of facial hair. Over time, most of these have been found to be awkward to use, difficult to align, and sometimes uncomfortable to remove.
Variations in stencil devices have offered handles, guides or the like for engaging some other part of the head, such as an ear, the bridge of the nose, a frontal bone, and so forth. This too posed a problem, since coordination ability varies so much between individuals. While one person may have no problems aligning the device, another may find it impossible to manipulate and achieve the desired results.
Some other suggested solutions have gone to the other extreme, involving multiple piece constructions that overlie the skull in a manner that conjures images of brain surgery. One sideburn trimming guide, U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,764 to Wagner, provides a metal band that fits over the head, generally from temple to temple, with another guide fitting over each ear. A similar head-fitting appliance is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,515 to Miller, who uses both over the top and around the head bands to position a sideburn trimming guide.
Not only would both of these head-fitting apparatus be difficult to assemble and position on the head, over long term use their physical integrity is sure to be compromised (bent, broken, and pieces lost). A need exists for providing an accurate measure of sideburn length using an inexpensive device whose manner of use requires no special skills or coordination, and preferably resembles devices that are well known and in widespread use.